Jesus asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” (John 5:5-8, NLT) John…
Category: John
In Him Was Life!
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.” (John 1:1-4) We…
I AM the Resurrection and Life
Each of us has experienced the pain that enters our hearts when someone we love passes from this life. We are too familiar with the experience of mourning: black clothes and black cars; hushed voices speaking in solemn tones; flowers whose brilliant colors are drained as we view them through and endless flow of tears….
Three Elements for Travel
Do you remember your first car? Mine was a 1972 Chevy Impala, two door hardtop. It was candy apple red with a white top and black interior. I think the car stereo I installed was probably worth more than the car itself. I remember driving around on summer Saturday nights, windows down, stereo blaring, with…
Listening to the Right Voice:: 4
The voice of the stranger and the voice of the hired hand both speak into the lives of the sheep for their own purposes. Over and against these two voices is the voice of the good shepherd. What characterizes the voice of the good shepherd? How do we know if we can accurately identify the…
Listening to the Right Voice:: 3
Yesterday I posted about the danger of listening to the voice of the stranger. There is little doubt in my mind that all of this talk about the voice of the stranger was a veiled reference to the influence that Satan attempts to have over the lives of Jesus’ sheep. Smart sheep don’t listen to…
Listening to the Right Voice:: 2
In his teaching regarding the “good shepherd,” Jesus described three voices that speak into our lives. The first, of which, was the voice of the stranger. When my children were young, we became aware of the importance of teaching our children about “stranger danger.” As parents we were diligent about telling our kids who to…
Listening to the Right Voice
The Gospel of John contains some of Jesus’ most profound teaching not the least of which is the discourse on the good shepherd in chapter 10. There are several ways this passage can be addressed, but the one I chose for this weekend’s message centered around the voices that speak into the lives of the…
Finding Security:: 3
Jesus’ promise to be the “gate” is still valid today. He offers security for our lives during these turbulent times. How, then, does Jesus provide security? Upon what basis is He able to make such a bold claim? I must confess I had to think about this for a while, but I settled, at least…
Finding Security:: 2
Gates have a couple of functions. For one, they provide a designated point of access; a place to enter and exit. Because of our strong evangelical leanings, we tend to make much of access into eternal life. So it would stand to reason that Jesus’ self description as the gate could make that impression. But…
